Student Support for Haitian Disaster Relief

Eugene T. Cook, Cox JD/MBA '11, and Erin C. Callahan, JD '11, are finalizing a campus-wide fund raising campaign, SupPort-au-Prince, designed to assist with Haitian disaster relief. The effort, involving all SMU graduate programs, will mobilize the student body and raise awareness for worthy organizations including 2 Life 18, an organization handling the logistics and distribution of supplies and personnel; North Care, an organization acting as an "umbrella" for smaller efforts within Haiti; and Fishers of Men, the largest evangelical church in Haiti and a strategic location for bringing in supplies and manpower. The Fishers property stands as one of the only largely undamaged facilities in Haiti, and has been converted to a 10,000 person tent city that serves as a base for displaced Haitians, and medical efforts that serve the larger Haitian population. This effort includes volunteers from a diverse background, including Jewish and Muslim doctors.

Through private donations, the SMU grad students have already chartered a plane and purchased one load of supplies. Luckily, the SupPort-au-Prince endeavor was able to transport supplies directly to the family of a fellow law student whose home was destroyed by the quake. The students' goals now are to focus on raising awareness, funds and goodwill for Haiti on the campus and in the larger metropolitan area. These efforts will conclude with a fundraising event inviting local businesses, law firms and other professionals.

Women-in-Law (WIL) Support a Two Week Fundraising Effort

Support-Au-Prince in association with the Women-in-Law Society kick off a two week fundraising effort on February 5, 2010 at Sambuca in Uptown from 5:00-7:00 pm. Proceeds from the Grad Mixer will go directly to charities on the ground in Haiti and is supported by all SMU Grad Campuses.